Q&A (and A and A) with Dick Vitale

LAKEWOOD RANCH — At First Watch, one of his regular breakfast spots, Dick Vitale chooses a table next to the door and a seat facing everyone who enters the place.

Even when talking about his passions — basketball, family or pediatric cancer and the Dick Vitale Gala this weekend — he interrupts himself to greet people.

Last year, on the morning of his eighth annual gala benefiting The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Dick Vitale doesn't skip a beat. Amid a day filled with interviews and last minute details, Vitale makes time for a visit to The Broken Egg in Lakewood Ranch, including signing a few basketballs for Jerry McLaughlin, Head Women's Basketball Coach for Elgin Community College. (Herald-Tribune staff archive / Elaine Litherland)

“Heyyy.”

“Hi, guys.”

“How ya doin’?”

When Vitale gets carried away, he steps into the aisle to act out his stories.

“My mother, she had a stroke, she used to drag her leg like this,” he says, standing up to drag his leg behind him. “She used to go to church every day — every day, not once a week — and I can see her walking just like that. Oh, God, she was such an inspiration to me.”

Vitale’s tribute to his mom goes on for several paragraphs, like most of his answers. Without a college basketball game to keep him short, he tends to go long.

For a 10 a.m. interview — his second of the day — he wears a gray golf shirt tucked into gray shorts with a black belt. His adidas sneakers have a customized “DICKIE V” logo. He sets his baseball cap on the table upside down, the better to hold his wallet and glasses.

He sounds a little hoarse, between sips of cranberry juice and decaffeinated coffee, but looks tanned and fit.

Q.You look tanned and fit. You keep in shape?

A. I control what I can control — diet and exercise. I’ll have juice and fruit and fat-free foods. I don’t eat red meat; I’m a chicken and fish guy. Every morning, I get up and work out. I’ve got all the Nautilus machines, and I walk at least a mile. And I play tennis, singles tennis, every day.

Q.Besides sports, what do you do for fun? Are you a movie guy or a TV guy?

I didn’t want to see him, I didn’t know anything about him, but my wife wanted to go. So I put that on Twitter — I have 700,000 followers — and I heard back from all these people. So we go to the concert and in the middle of the show, Josh goes, “I understand Dickie V is in the audience. What do you think? Am I any good?” And I said, “Good? You’re in another world!”

Q.That is a good story. Next month, you’ll turn 75 years old. What are you doing on your birthday?

A. I think I’m going to be in California for a speaking engagement.

On the morning of his 2013 gala benefiting The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Dick Vitale doesn't skip a beat. At 11:45 a.m. Vitale arrives to The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota to autograph basketballs that will serve double as table centerpieces and auction items during the event. (Herald-Tribune archive / 2013 / Elaine Litherland)

Q.Why?

A. Why?

Q.Why do that? Why travel across the country? Why work on your birthday?

A. I do it because I love people. I love speaking. It excites me, to get in front of a crowd. Maybe that’s why I love all those entertainers.

Q.It must be hectic for you right now, putting on your charity gala.

A. Oh, it never stops, it’s 24/7, trying to get all these celebrities to come here. Obviously, people want favors in return, and you respond as best you can, but it’s not easy.

Jimmy Valvano’s legacy, that means something, and I think they all realize how much cancer affects people. I mean, who hasn’t been affected by cancer? It’s a vicious disease. The pain for the kids is unreal and no parent should have to go through that. So that’s one of the reasons I’m begging and pleading with people on the phone.

“I’m hoping and praying for this year. I’d love to announce to the crowd that we’ve raised $2 million this year. Think about that. We’re talking millions.

Q.You’re working on your birthday and keeping score in fundraising. You’re that competitive?

A. Oh, yeah. I’m very competitive, probably competitive to a fault. That probably cost me a job coaching in the pros. I had a great owner and everything, but we didn’t have the personnel, and I was too competitive and not patient enough.

Q.When you first started coaching, you also taught sixth grade. I’m trying to imagine you in the classroom. Were you the same guy?

A. Oh, I was the same — I loved it, I loved it. I get letters from people who tell their kids I was their former teacher, but the kids don’t believe ’em, so I write ’em back. And one of my former students is now a principal. But I loved it. I didn’t like the paycheck, but I loved teaching.

Q. Were you a super-enthusiastic child, too?

A. I guess. When I was a kid, I lost my eye in a pencil accident, and a lot of people think I made up for that with my personality. I don’t know about that. My mom always said I had spirit. Not enthusiasm, she used the word spirit.

I was so lucky to have the family I had. My parents were working-class people, uneducated people, but they had Ph.D’s in love. There was so much love in that house.

On Sundays, my aunts and uncles would come over. That’s where I learned my love for sports — my uncles were all sports nuts. They would argue over who was the best center fielder, Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle. My father would always say, “Get out of here — Joe DiMaggio was better than all of ’em.”

Q.You’re so upbeat and energetic all the time. When you’re at home, do you ever power down and keep quiet?

A. I have down moments like anyone else. We have problems and fears like anyone else. The other day I was driving to Venice in panic mode because one of my grandsons got hit in the face with a baseball.

My name and my face have become associated with pediatric cancer, so a week doesn’t go by without us getting a call from someone. It just breaks my heart, you know, these kids fighting for their lives. And sometimes they don’t make it.

I spoke at the funeral of a little boy and that was the toughest speech I’ve ever had to give.

Q.Things like cancer in a family can make sports seem pretty inconsequential.

A. I get so turned off when athletes forget where they came from. That’s why I was so excited when Kevin Durant was named MVP and gave that speech about his mother and the sacrifices she made and all of that. He’s my new basketball hero. I remember turning to my grandson and saying, “See that? That’s what you want to be.”

Q.You’re a baseball fan, too. Are you worried about your Tampa Bay Rays?

A. Yes, I’m worried about the Rays. The pitching staff is in disarray, with so many injuries. If they can stay close, relatively close, and get (Alex) Cobb and (Jeremy) Hellickson back, they’ll be OK.

Q.Before I forget, my wife has a basketball question for you. What was the best game you ever called?

A. One I loved was Virginia-North Carolina. Ralph Sampson was a three-time Player of the Year and Virginia was No. 1 in the country, but Carolina was No. 3 and had an emerging sophomore named Michael Jordan, and he led them back for the win. I said, “Forget Ralph Sampson — Michael the magician is absolutely the best.” That’s one game that jumps out in my mind.”

Q.Way back when, you broadcast ESPN’s first college basketball game. Did you expect the network to become such a big deal.

A. No, I was shocked, I was shocked. And I was fortunate to be a little spoke in that big wheel. Four letters — E-S-P-N — that changed my life.

After talking for an hour, Vitale needed to call the sports network for another interview. He waved goodbye to a reporter and picked up his cell phone.

“Look at this,” he said. “Look at all these messages.”

A woman at the next table leaned over to say hello.

“I heard you talking,” she said, laughing. “I’m like, Is there a TV on?”

Vitale smiled, thanked her for her interest and turned to a group of people walking up to the restaurant.

“Hey,” he said. “How ya doin’?”

Last modified: May 14, 2014
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